Graduation Date

Fall 12-16-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Programs

Medical Sciences Interdepartmental Area

First Advisor

Sundaralingam Premaraj

Abstract

A side effect of orthodontic treatment is the development of white spot lesions (WSLs). This thesis attempted to evaluate the effects of the use of APC™ Flash-Free (FF) and conventional adhesives in bonding of orthodontic brackets on plaque formation and retention, WSL development, and bracket failure in-vivo. This was accomplished by collecting plaque samples from around orthodontic appliances and analyzing them using ATP-driven bioluminescence; scanning enamel surfaces using the Canary System™ to evaluate WSL development, and counting the number of spontaneous debonding of brackets of the 4 maxillary incisors in the first 6 months of treatment. It was found that there were no significant differences in plaque formation and retention between brackets bonded with FF adhesive and those bonded with conventional adhesives. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in WSL development between FF adhesives and conventional adhesives during the same study period; however, demineralization of enamel surfaces took place in our sample with mesiofacial and distofacial surfaces being most affected. Failure rates of 5.26% and 0% were observed for FF and conventional brackets during the first 6 months of orthodontic treatment, respectively. The present study revealed that the presence or absence of excessive adhesive (flash) around fixed orthodontic appliances may not play a significant role in plaque retention and white spot lesion development in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment during the first 6 months of orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances. Furthermore, FF brackets may fail more often than conventional brackets during the first 6 months of orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances.

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